The Irish standard., 1887-10-01
LIFE ON THE ROAD.
Experiences of Men Who Are Compiled
to Travel Every Day.

LIFE ON THE ROAD.
Experiences of Men Who Are Compelled
to elEvery Day.
Then there is another large group
who are ''on the road'' nearly every
day. These are the men whose busi-
ness, trades or calling are in town and
whose dwelling houses or family places
of abode for the time being are out of
town, at the shore or in the country,
On this class observations may be
made. Some of them make dreary
and tiresome job of their daily journey
to and fro, especially if the ride takes
an hour or two. They bury themselves
in silence, or they make futile efforts
to read proftless and trashy eight
literature" or they resort to the smok-
fng-car, or they play cards all the way;
or they at once set to work to try to go
to sleep, and all ''to kill time.' and so
make wearisome labor or feverish
fret of the trip. And, in fact, it is
monotonous, dull, and very tedious
business with them as they work ia
proftless expenditure of time, most of
them getting very tired of it before the
summer is over.
There is ''remnant,' however,
who go ION the road' to better pur-
pose, who don't get tired, and who
don't try to '.kill time'' in any of the
ways already mentioned. One of this
group we have in mind at this mo-
ment. During several months of the
year it happens that he is obliged to
be on the road twice every day, his
workshop and his dwelling place be-
ing in those months two hours travel
apart. He makes the trip to the city
early in the morning and back in the
evening, and while he is by no means
youth, he never suffers ennui on the
train, never seems to be tired, and, in
fact, neveris tired on the road. When
asked how that comes about his an
swer is: ''Tired? No; the most abso-
lutte rest get, except when l am in
bed asleep, is during the two hours of
the railroad ride home in the after
noon and evening. When I settle
down in the car-chair throw off
every thing that has any strain of
thought in it. look at the fields and
trees, the corn and the clover, the
peach orchards and the potato patches
the berry-field, and the vineyards,
the gardens, the barn-yards and the
cattle-pastures. the snug farm homes
and the cozy cottage homes along the
village roads, the wild flowers and
the wild birds, the pretty railway
stations. their parterres. and the va
ried and curious groups of people OF
all descriptions congreated at the Sta
tions. 1 have passing acquaintance
with every thing on that road, ami
mate and inanimate, and every day l
see them under some fresh aspect.
Some new interest is ALWAYS coming to
notice. The restfulness of it all is so
perfect and absolute that you must
try it before you can understand it. -
.'When asked about the 'time''
taken up in the two daily trips he
said: Yes, OF course. there's great
expense of time. could not afford to
spend four ho:rs out of the working
day that way. so divide them. devot-
ing the two hours to the shore after
the days work is over to perfect rest,
and putting the two hours coming up
IN the morning to work, and can do
three hours work easily in those two
when fresh in the morning. 1t is
wonderful to find how letters and
papers and memoranda about business
affairs that were puzzles and difficult
ties to know what to do with during
the busy hours of the day before clear
themselves up and almost dispose of
themselves when the mind is fresh and
free and active in the early morning
on the road. Y Letter.